Conventional baby bottles are well known. Conventional baby bottles typically include three parts: a receptacle, a nipple/gasket and a locking ring.
Typically, the receptacle is filled with liquid such as a baby formula or other suitable liquid. The locking ring is secured to the receptacle in such a way as to hold the nipple/gasket in place. The nipple/gasket is trapped between the locking ring and the receptacle. Specifically, the gasket portion of the nipple/gasket prevents liquid from leaking out of the baby bottle. The baby sucks from the nipple portion of the nipple/gasket.
Typically, conventional baby bottle construction requires close proximity between the baby and the receptacle because of the relatively short length of the nipple.
Certain circumstances, including but not limited to when the baby is being treated for certain medical conditions that require the baby to be placed in a controlled environment such as an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit (“NICU”) of a health care facility or in a bili-rubin light chamber for reducing the bili-rubin count of a child using phototherapy, may preclude close proximity of the baby to the receptacle. In such circumstances, the baby may have to be removed from the therapeutic controlled environment for extended periods in order to be fed. Removing the baby from the controlled environment reduces the effectiveness of the controlled environment on the baby's care.
Other circumstances where it may be beneficial to distance the receptacle from the baby include feeding the baby in a car seat or stroller. When the baby is positioned in a car seat or stroller it may be difficult for an adult supervising the baby to hold the receptacle in close proximity to the baby.
Additionally, typical baby bottles require that the receptacle holding liquid be positioned at a higher gravitational potential than a nipple of the bottle. Orienting the bottle in such a position typically requires that the baby be fed in a lying/leaning position or that the baby's head be tilted backward. Typical baby bottles do not allow a baby to access liquid in the receptacle when the baby is positioned in a sitting position and without tilting the baby's head. Feeding in an upright sitting position may reduce colic, gas, ear infection and reflux.
Attempts have been made to distance the nipple from the receptacle. For example, tubing may extend from inside the receptacle to a nipple.
However, such bottles typically require that the baby exert a greater sucking force to draw liquid from the receptacle than conventional bottles. Babies are typically easily able to draw liquids from conventional bottles. When babies are being fed from conventional bottles, the receptacle is typically positioned such that liquid stored in the receptacle is at a greater gravitational potential than the nipple. The liquid within the receptacle exerts pressure on the nipple when the nipple is at least partial inverted in the baby's mouth. The pressure exerted on the nipple allows the baby to easily draw the liquid out of the bottle.
When the nipple is separated (or separable) from the receptacle, the baby may be required to exert additional effort to draw liquid out of the receptacle to the nipple. The receptacle may be positioned such that the liquid does not exert pressure on the nipple when the nipple is in the baby's mouth. To draw liquid out of the receptacle, the baby may typically need to overcome a gravitational force and draw the liquid across a distance (e.g., through a length of tubing) before the liquid reaches the nipple. The gravitational force across the distance and/or altitude differential between the liquid and the baby may increase the force needed to draw liquid out of the bottle.
Additionally, when the nipple is separated (or separable) from the receptacle, a vacuum-like force may develop in a typical leak-proof receptacle as a result of the baby drawing fluid out of the receptacle. The vacuum-like force may hinder or prevent the baby's ability to draw fluid out of the receptacle to a distant nipple.
Another issue that arises with bottles that include a nipple that is separated (or separable) from the receptacle is an increase in a volume of air that is sucked up by a baby. Air is sucked up by the baby to initially draw liquid from the receptacle through the tubing and out of the nipple. Furthermore, after the baby ceases sucking activity, the liquid drawn into the nipple or tubing linking the nipple and receptacle typically recedes back into the receptacle. When the baby later renews sucking activity, the baby must draw additional air out of the tubing before liquid is again drawn up from the receptacle to the nipple.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a bottle with an extended nipple that reduces an amount of effort required to draw fluid out of the receptacle to the nipple. It would be further desirable to provide a bottle with an extended nipple that augments the ability of the baby to draw the fluid from the receptacle. It would be further desirable to provide a bottle with an extended nipple that reduces the volume of air ingested by a baby when using a bottle with a separated (or separable) nipple.